


Broken Pencils

by froxyn



Category: Buffy the Vampire Slayer
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2009-08-18
Updated: 2009-08-18
Packaged: 2017-10-08 22:00:20
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 6,869
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/79929
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/froxyn/pseuds/froxyn





	Broken Pencils

Title: Broken Pencils  
Author: Froxyn  
Rating: FRAO  
Pairing: Buffy/Giles  
Timeline: S6'ish, AU.  
Synopsis: A run in with a demon has an interesting side-effect for Buffy.  
Author's Note: This was a bunny left for me by [4thderevko](http://4thderevko.livejournal.com). Thank you, 4th! And thank you [wyvernwolf](http://wyvernwolf.livejournal.com), as usual, for a wonderful beta job!

 

Buffy rushed through the front door of Giles' apartment, startling everyone. Seeing her wide eyes and recognizing the panic in them, Giles stood up quickly and ran over to her.

"Buffy? What's wrong?" He asked hurriedly as he touched her shoulder.

"Demon…sprayed…dead…"

"A demon sprayed dead things?" Xander asked, earning him an eye roll from Anya.

Giles ignored the question and led Buffy to the couch, giving Willow a grateful glance as she draped the afghan over Buffy's shoulders. "Calm down, love…tell me what happened."

Buffy's eyes filled with fear. "Something's wrong, Giles. I can feel it."

"What's wrong?"

She shook her head and looked around the room. "I don't know. But…I knew I had to get to you…and fast!"

"You're alright, Buffy." He whispered soothingly, pulling her into his arms and dropping a kiss on the top of her head.

When he felt her start to relax, he rubbed her back and sighed softly. "Would you like some tea?"

Buffy shook her head quickly and rubbed her cheek against his chest. "Can I have some hot chockit?"

Giles furrowed his brow and looked down at her. "I'm sorry?"

"Hot chockit…with martians."

Anya tilted her head as she stared at Buffy. Willow and Xander exchanged a look of disbelief. Giles swallowed hard as Buffy lifted her head and smiled brightly up at him.

"I like martians in my chockit."

"Um…Giles?" Xander whispered, pushing his chair back.

"Buffy?" Giles whispered, staring into her eyes.

"Read me a story after?" Buffy asked.

"Dear God…" Giles muttered, causing Willow and Xander to turn their stares to him.

"What's wrong with her, Giles?" Willow asked, her panic starting to grow.

Anya narrowed her eyes at Buffy as she watched Buffy swing her feet, the toe of one of her tennis shoes tapping against the coffee table. "What's my name, Buffy?"

Buffy looked over at the ex-demon and grinned, lightly kicking the coffee table again. "You're Anya…and you're funny."

Buffy quickly looked at the other two, pointing with her finger and giggling. "Xander's a silly boy. Willow's a smartypants!"

Giles swallowed thickly, his heart beginning to race as the pieces fell into place. "Buffy, um…how old are you?"

Buffy grinned as she held her hand up, fingers and thumb spread wide. "Five! I go to big girl school this year!"

Anya smiled, seeing the humour of the situation, but quickly smothered it. Even though she saw the funny side, she was glad that the others were busy staring at Buffy and hadn't seen the smile.

"Can I have hot chockit now?"

* * *

Willow walked into the kitchen, sighing as Giles stirred the contents of the mug as he stared into the living room. Anya was busy painting Buffy's fingernails a horrible shade of green as Xander sat at the table, still shaking his head in disbelief.

"Giles, what's going on?"

"I'm making hot chocolate with marshmallows for my girlfriend…who seemingly thinks she's five years old." Giles responded flatly.

"Yeah, but…I mean, what's going on as in…how did this happen?"

Giles lowered his eyes as he placed the spoon on a towel on the counter. "If I knew that, I'd have my Buffy back already."

Willow gently rubbed Giles' back, offering him a reassuring smile when he looked at her. "We'll figure it out, Giles. We always do."

Giles nodded absently and then glanced at the nearest bookshelf. "We should start researching…"

"Look! They're green!"

Giles turned and swallowed the lump in his throat as Buffy grinned up at him, displaying her freshly painted nails. "So they are."

Buffy furrowed her brow momentarily and then smiled again when she saw the mug. "Hot chockit with martians?"

"Extra martians…just like you like it." He answered softly.

Buffy jumped up and down excitedly and then ran back into the living room. Willow looked up at Giles curiously.

"How do you know that she likes extra marshmallows?"

"I love her." He replied simply, sadly picking up the mug and walking past her.

Willow followed him after a moment, pausing at the bookshelf to pull down two books. Xander looked up when she handed one of the books to him. Shrugging a shoulder, she sighed and sat back down at the table.

"Might as well start researching…"

Xander nodded in agreement, glancing over at Buffy as she slurped at her hot chocolate.

* * *

Two hours later, Buffy yawned and shook her head. "Nope!"

Xander groaned and closed the book with more force than was necessary. "Would she even know what it looked like anyway? I mean…five year olds don't really see things the same as adults do."

Buffy scowled at Xander and then looked up at Giles. "He needs a nap."

Despite the seriousness of the situation, Giles chuckled softly. At the sound of his chuckle, Buffy brightened and climbed onto his lap. Giles tensed, his eyes widening.

"Buffy!"

"Read me a story." She reached over and grabbed a book off the lamp table, squirming on his lap as she did so.

Giles inhaled sharply, quickly grabbing her to stop her movement. Buffy looked up at him, startled at his gruff tone when he spoke her name again.

"I was just getting the book…"

He nodded quickly, offering her a gentle smile in an effort to soothe her. "It's alright, Buffy…I can reach it."

"Okay!" She smiled and settled back down on his lap. Her brow furrowed and she shifted again, causing Giles to give an uncomfortable groan.

She shifted once more and then looked up, confusion in her eyes. "What's that?"

"Um…nothing." Giles answered quickly, clearing his throat as the other three looked up from their research. "Which story would you like me to read?"

"It's hard…" Buffy grumbled, moving a little to the side and reaching down with her hand.

Giles moved to grab her hand, but was a second too late as she pushed down on his erection. "Dear God…"

Willow's eyes widened. "Giles!"

Giles reddened deeply, looking up helplessly as he moved Buffy off of his lap. "It's not as if I can help it!"

Xander's mouth dropped open. "She's like…five years old!"

Giles glared at him, opening his mouth to give a scathing retort. He paused when he heard Anya scoff. Before he could say anything, Anya smacked Xander's arm.

"Ow! What the hell, An?!"

"Quit being an idiot. It's a physiological response." She rolled her eyes as Xander shook his head. "Shut up, Xander. They've been in a relationship for over a year…how would _you_ react if I climbed on your lap and wriggled around?"

"But that's different! She's five – "

She interrupted him with another smack. "No, she's Buffy."

Giles smiled appreciatively at Anya, carefully pulling the afghan onto his lap. His smile faded slightly as she continued.

"If she _looked_ like she was five years old, it'd be creepy. _She_ doesn't know what s-e-x is, but _he_ does."

Giles exhaled slowly and closed his eyes. He opened them when he felt a gentle tap on his arm. When he looked down into Buffy's big hazel eyes, he smiled softly.

"Yes, Buffy?"

"What's essiex?"

Giles looked towards the three sitting at the table, his eyes pleading with them. "We need to figure this out quickly."

He gasped when Buffy's hand pressed down on his groin.

"Where'd the bump go?"

Xander picked up his book quickly and showed a picture to Buffy. "What about this guy?"

Buffy examined the picture and shook her head. "Nope."

Giles gave an exasperated sigh. This was not going well…at all. He leaned his head against the back of the couch and took a deep breath.

* * *

An hour and a half later, Giles carried a sleeping Buffy up to the bedroom while Willow ushered Xander and Anya out the front door. He sighed as he lowered her to the bed, smiling as she curled onto her side…her hands tucked under her chin. He gently brushed his fingers through her hair, hoping that they'd be able to find the cause of her regression soon.

"Are you okay?"

Giles jumped slightly at Willow's soft voice, not having heard her come upstairs, but didn't take his eyes from Buffy. "She's sound asleep…not a care in the world."

"Yeah…" Willow sighed and moved closer, placing her hand on Giles' shoulder. "But…are _you_ okay?"

Giles was quiet for a moment and then cleared his throat. "I rather think not."

Leaning down, he brushed his lips across her temple and then stood up. He watched her for a few seconds more and then, with a gentle shake of his head, turned and walked towards the stairs.

"Giles?"

Giles stopped and lowered his head, but didn't turn back to face Willow. "I…need to research…"

"I'll stay and help." Willow offered without a second thought.

"I'm sure you have plans with Oz…"

She shook her head quickly, even though he couldn't see her. "No, he's in L.A. for the weekend…band stuff."

She looked down as Buffy whimpered. Giles turned around at the sound and Willow quickly grabbed Mr. Gordo from the top of the dresser, tucking the plush pig under the covers next to Buffy. She smiled as Buffy calmed and cuddled the toy tight against her chest.

Giles ran his hand through his hair, his eyes glistening lightly as he watched Buffy. Willow walked over to him and offered him an understanding smile.

"We'll figure it out, Giles."

Giles nodded numbly, watching Buffy for a few seconds longer before turning and walking down the stairs. Willow flicked the light switch, bathing the bedroom in darkness before following him. She bit her lip nervously and felt her concern for Giles grew with each step.

* * *

Willow looked up from her book as Giles sat back in his chair. "Did you find something?"

Giles shook his head, sighing heavily as he ran his hand through his hair…an action that he had done too many times to count tonight. "It would be much easier if we had twenty-one year-old Buffy describing the demon to us. Her descriptions may be strange, but at least I can decipher them. Five-year-old Buffy's offering of 'bumpy' helps very little."

He glanced at Willow, furrowing his brow when he noticed a ghost of a smile on her lips. "What?"

Willow's eyebrows shot up, a sure-tell sign of her embarrassment. "Oh, uh…it's nothing, I was just thinking about something else…"

"Willow…"

Willow's face reddened and she bit her lip. "Really, it's nothing, Giles…"

Giles crossed his arms over his chest and stared at her. Willow groaned softly and sat back in her chair.

"I was just thinking that…well…Buffy's descriptions of a few things tonight consisted of the word 'bumpy'…that's all…"

Giles raised his left eyebrow in confusion and then realized what Willow was hinting at. He cleared his throat as his skin turned a light shade of pink.

"Oh…um, yes…well…"

Deciding to spare them both any further embarrassment, Willow turned the book she was looking through towards him and pointed to a picture on the page. Giles looked at the picture, lowering his arms from his chest as he leaned forward.

"Climsh'hant…"

"Yeah, if that's how you pronounce it." Willow stated softly. "It says here that this guy has time travel tendencies…"

"Mm-hm…but, this isn't really a 'time travel' situation. I've looked under 'regression spells'…toxins that might cause a mental – " He stopped suddenly and looked up towards the loft.

"Giles?" Willow whispered as he pushed his chair back.

"Giles!" A child-like voice screamed, panic clear in that one word.

Giles was half-way up the stairs before Willow had even stood up.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Giles flicked the light switch as he ran into the room, surprised to see her curled up against the headboard with fear shining in her eyes. After seeing her eyes dart around the room, he instantly knew what the problem was and ran over to the bed, gently sitting down on the edge.

"Oh, God...Buffy, I'm sorry..." He whispered, raising his hand to tenderly stroke her hair.

"What's wrong?" Willow asked as she rushed into the room.

Buffy's bottom lip quivered, her eyes glistening with unshed tears as she looked up at Giles. "Was dark..."

"I know, sweetheart. I'm sorry, I didn't even think..."

"Giles?" Willow prompted, moving further into the room but stopping when Buffy shot a quick glance her way.

"She's scared of the dark." Giles explained, gently pulling Buffy into his arms. "I can't believe I forgot that."

"Oh…" Willow whispered softly, not knowing what else to say. So instead, she leaned against the dresser and watched Giles comfort Buffy…knowing that Buffy would take comfort from no one else at the moment.

Buffy sniffled and curled her arms between their bodies as he tightened his hold on her. "You'll keep me safe?"

"Always, my darling." He pressed a soft kiss to the top of her head before pulling back slightly. "Lie back down, Buffy."

She looked up quickly, shaking her head as her eyes widened. "No! I wanna stay with you!"

He glanced at the bed and then took a deep breath. "Come on then, you can come downstairs with us for a little while, okay?"

She smiled and then scrambled out of bed. "Can I have some juice?"

Giles nodded, a sad smile on his face as she ran down the stairs. He met Willow's questioning eyes and sighed.

"I can't lie in this bed with her, Willow. Not right now."

Willow nodded in understanding and flinched when she heard a crash downstairs.

"Oops!"

Giles chuckled, surprising Willow. He shrugged a shoulder and stood up, running his hand through his hair again.

"It's either laugh or cry at the moment." He stated quietly.

"Um, Giles?" Buffy called up the stairs, her nervous tone showing that she was expecting to be in trouble. "I, uh...breaked a glass..."

Giles smiled down at her as he descended the stairs. "Glasses can be replaced, Buffy. Did you cut yourself?"

Buffy shook her head and bit her bottom lip. "You're not mad?"

"No...no, I'm not mad." He tenderly rubbed his thumb over her cheek. "But, why don't you sit down on the couch while I clean the broken glass up, okay? I wouldn't want you to step on it..."

She nodded and ran across the living room, jumping onto the couch and grinning at him. Giles met Willow's eyes and cleared his throat.

"Would, um...would you mind sitting with her while I..." He gestured towards the kitchen, his voice trailing off as tears welled in his eyes.

"Hey..." Willow whispered, placing her hand on his chest. "Laugh or cry, remember? Not both."

He took a deep breath and gave a slight nod before turning and making his way to the kitchen. She watched him for a moment and then looked towards the couch to find Buffy glaring at her.

"Buff? What's wrong?"

Buffy continued glaring at her as she walked over and sat down next to her. It took a moment, but Willow recognized the jealousy in her friend's eyes.

"Buffy?"

"Giles is mine!"

Willow glanced at Giles, who was busy sweeping up broken glass, and then turned back to Buffy. Suddenly, it hit her...she had rubbed his chest, in a comforting gesture. It wasn't meant in a possessive manner, but it was obvious that Buffy's five year old mind couldn't tell the difference.

"Oh..." Willow smiled. "No, it wasn't anything like that...he's _your_ boyfriend. Oz is mine."

Buffy wrinkled her nose and shook her head. "Yuck! Boys are gross! He's not my boyfriend, he's my _Giles_."

Giles cleared his throat as he walked into the living room, a glass of juice in his hand. Willow looked at him apologetically and he merely shrugged. He knew how five year old boys thought...and they pretty much had the same impression about girls that apparently five year old girls had about boys.

He smiled as he handed the glass to Buffy, who was grinning brightly at him. "I _am_ yours, Buffy."

Buffy sipped the juice and then turned her grin to Willow. "See? He's _my_ Giles."

Willow noticed Giles' smile falter as he sat back down at the table, resuming his research. She nodded and gently stroked Buffy's hair. "Yeah, he's your Giles, Buffy."

Giles was glad that he was sitting with his back to Buffy. He wasn't sure that Buffy would understand why a tear had just rolled down his face.

* * *

It was a little over an hour later when Buffy tapped on Giles' shoulder. "You gots any paper?"

Giles nodded, looking up from the book. "I do have paper."

"Got crayons?"

He shook his head, gazing into her eyes...hoping to see a flicker of _his_ Buffy somewhere. He sighed softly when all he saw was an inquisitive child who had an obvious affection for him.

"No, I don't. I do have colored pencils though...would that do?"

The brief flash of disappointment in her eyes was replaced with happiness. "Yeah! Can I draw you a picture?"

"Of course you can. I'd love for you to draw me a picture." He replied as he stood up and walked over to the desk.

He opened the drawer and pulled out a sketchpad and a box of very expensive artist's pencils. Willow arched an eyebrow.

"You're going to let her use those?"

"I've nothing else...and they can be replaced should she break them."

"I won't break 'em. I'm careful with pencils!" Buffy insisted, grabbing the sketchpad from Giles' hand.

Before he could stop her, she knelt down on the floor in front of the coffee table and flipped the front cover open. She looked at the drawing, tilting her head to the side.

"Who's that?"

Giles cleared his throat and pulled out an unused sketchpad from the desk drawer. "That's you, Buffy."

Buffy giggled and shook her head. "No, I'm little. She's pretty."

Giles slowly nodded in agreement as he handed her the blank pad and picked up the one that he'd been drawing in for the past few months. "Yes, she is. I find her very beautiful, in fact."

Before the conversation continued, a thought occurred to Giles. He knelt beside of her and opened the box of pencils.

"Buffy?"

She picked up a green pencil and looked up at him. "Yeah?"

"Do you remember what the bumpy man from last night looked like?"

She thought for a second and then nodded. "Yeah."

Giles glanced at Willow, excitement in his eyes for the first time since Buffy had regressed. He gently ran his fingers through her hair, smiling as she instinctively leaned into his touch.

"Do you think maybe you could draw him for me?"

"Okay!" She responded happily, exchanging the green pencil for a red one. "But you have to sharpen the pencils for me 'cause I'm not 'lowed to use the sharpner."

"I'll sharpen them for you, love." He whispered, looking up to find Willow turning the pages of the sketchpad he had taken off Buffy earlier. "Um..."

"These are...well, they're very good, Giles." She smiled as she met his eyes. "Some of them are...a little more graphic than I was expecting..."

"I, uh..." He started, his skin reddening with embarrassment.

"But, even the more graphic ones are tastefully done. How come you didn't tell us what a good artist you are?"

He smiled shyly and cleared his throat. "Because I received enough ribbing from you lot when you heard me sing the first time."

"I need a raser..." Buffy looked at Giles expectantly.

He smiled and handed her the well-used eraser that was kept in the box with the pencils. She tilted her head and stared into his eyes.

"Why are you smiling?"

"I love you so." He whispered.

She smiled brightly as she began erasing the bumpy man's hand. "Love ya back!"

Giles' smile faded as he began sharpening the pencils. Willow understood why his smile disappeared...and she felt her heart break for him.

There was so much passion in the four words he had whispered to Buffy. But, Buffy hadn't recognized the passion...and as a result, she had responded as any child would. Willow closed the sketchpad and watched Buffy draw.

* * *

Giles had wanted to search through his books for a matching demon when Buffy had finished her drawing, but Buffy was tired...and refused to let Willow hold her. So, Giles moved to the couch and allowed Buffy to use his thigh as a pillow. Willow took over the research while they waited for Buffy to fall back asleep.

Willow glanced over at the couch as she stood up to bring down another book from the bookshelf. She smiled when she found that they had both fallen asleep, his hand resting on Buffy's back and her cheek pressed against Giles' thigh.

Her eyes darted to the door as it swung open and she held her index finger in front of her lips as Xander and Anya walked into the apartment. When she gestured to the couch, Anya smiled and nudged Xander towards the table.

"Why aren't they in bed?" Xander asked softly.

Anya stared at him in disbelief. "You had a go at him earlier for having a hard-on when Buffy was squirming all over him and now you _want_ them in bed together?"

Xander slowly turned to her and shook his head. "Do you ever _think_ about what you're saying? I just thought that they'd be more comfortable in the bed, that's all."

Willow cleared her throat and smiled shyly. "I, uh...I think he was worried about being _too_ comfortable, you know?"

Xander rubbed the side of his neck and sighed. "Okay, can we just talk about something else? Like..." He glanced at the drawing on the table and narrowed his eyes. "What's that?"

"Oh...that's the demon. Buffy drew it for Giles."

Anya snorted in amusement. "Is it in proportion?"

"I think she did really well for a five year old." Willow said defensively.

Xander smiled and handed Anya a book before gesturing for her to sit at the table. "Well, let's see what we can find."

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Giles opened his eyes when he heard his name. He yawned and looked around the room, confusion showing in his eyes when he realized he was laying down on the couch...and Buffy wasn't with him.

"Where's Buffy?" He asked as he sat up, wincing as his back cracked.

"She's taking a bubble bath." Xander answered, handing him a cup of tea. "Will's in there with her. An and I thought we'd let you sleep for a little while longer..."

"Is she alright?" He lifted the cup to his lips and took a small sip. "And...thank you."

"You're welcome." Xander smiled and sat down on the coffee table. "She's...Buffy. You know?"

Giles smiled and nodded. "She's inherently Buffy."

"How hard is it?"

Giles fought the urge to glance at his groin, instead clearing his throat and arching an eyebrow at Xander. Xander blushed immediately and shook his head.

"Oh, God...no! What I meant was...for you. How hard is it for you watching her like this?"

Giles chuckled as Xander clumsily stumbled over his words. He looked towards the hall as Buffy came running into the room, a towel wrapped around her.

"Harder than you can imagine." He whispered as Buffy grinned at him.

"You're awake!"

"I am indeed." Giles smiled as he looked at a very wet Willow. "Problems?"

"Do you have any idea how much water Buffy is able to splash out of a tub?"

"Yes." Giles replied cryptically and gestured towards the loft. "You should get dressed Buffy."

"Will you help me?" She asked softly.

"I..." Giles lowered his eyes and rubbed the back of his neck. "Buffy, I..."

Willow stepped in quickly, giving Giles a sympathetic glance. "How about I help you...and Xander can show Giles what we found in one of the books? Does that sound like a good idea?"

Buffy nodded and took Willow's hand, leading her up the stairs. Giles snapped his eyes to Xander.

"You found something?"

"We're not sure. That's why I woke you up..."

Giles stood up, sloshing his tea as he rushed over to the table. "Show me!"

* * *

Giles looked up from the book when he heard the unmistakeable sound of Buffy running down the stairs. He arched an eyebrow at her attire...a pair of her own denim shorts and a very old Space Oddity t-shirt that he hadn't even seen in years, much less worn. Willow sighed heavily when he cast a quick glance to her.

"It's all I could get her to put on. Apparently little Buffy's fashion sense is a lot different than normal Buffy's."

Giles chuckled and then looked into Buffy's eyes as she ran over to him. "How was your bubble bath?"

"Good." She smiled proudly as she pointed to the box of pencils. "But the red one needs to be sharpened."

"I can take care of that later, but thank you for letting me know." He answered, brushing a damp strand of hair back from her face.

"You're welcome! Whatcha doin'?"

"Looking at pictures...would you like to look at a few with me?"

"Yeah! Can I sit on your lap?"

Giles reddened slightly when Anya snorted. Shaking his head, he pulled another chair over next to him with his left foot.

"How about you sit beside of me?"

Buffy shrugged a shoulder and jumped up into the chair, wiggling around until she got comfortable. She smiled up at Willow when she placed a cup of juice on the table.

Giles cleared his throat to get Buffy's attention. He couldn't help but smile when she turned her hazel eyes to him and gazed up at him expectantly.

"The, uh...picture you drew for me last night..."

Buffy looked at the table and narrowed her eyes when she saw an open book. She knelt on the chair and leaned over the table, grabbing at the book and nearly knocking her juice over. Xander caught the glass before it could spill and shook his head at Buffy.

"Be careful, Buff...Giles'll get really upset if his musty old books are drenched in grape juice."

"Sorry..." Buffy offered and then pulled the book over in front of her. She pointed at the picture and gave a very certain nod. "That's the red guy I saw."

"Are you sure?" Giles asked carefully, reaching over to grab the other two books. "Neither of these look familiar to you?"

Buffy looked at the pictures and shook her head. "No...that one has horns. The one I saw didn't. And that one is blue...mine was red. That's why I colored him red and not blue."

Giles laughed gently and pushed the other two books away. "Yes, that's what I told Xander as well."

Buffy looked at Xander and rolled her eyes as she held up the picture she had drawn the previous night. "Does this look blue?"

"No...but, then you broke the blue pencil. Maybe it was supposed to be blue..." Xander huffed and stood up to put the books away, not noticing the tears well in Buffy's eyes.

Giles sighed and tenderly stroked Buffy's hair before kissing the top of her head. "I told you, Buffy...pencils, like glasses, can be replaced."

Buffy nodded slowly, glancing at Xander as he sat down. Xander looked over at her and gave her a gentle smile before starting a quiet conversation with Willow and Anya. Buffy swung her feet, resting her head on her hand as she watched Giles scribble on a piece of paper. A few moments later, she took a deep breath and bit her bottom lip.

She lifted her head as Giles lifted his mug of tea to his lips. "Can I have one of those?"

"One of what?" Giles asked, turning the page in the book.

"A cup of tea..." She smiled as Giles looked up quickly, the sudden movement sloshing tea over the rim of his cup.

Giles stared at her, lowering the cup as he took in her hazel eyes that were _his_ Buffy's again…suddenly bright and clear of the demon's toxin. "Buffy?"

She nodded slowly, taking the cup from him before he made an even bigger mess than he had already. "A kiss might be nice too..."

Without thinking further, Giles cupped her face in his hands and lowered his mouth to hers. He kissed her slowly, neither of them noticing that Willow pulled the forgotten book over towards her. Xander's eyes widened as the kiss deepened and he quickly looked at Willow.

"Um...should we go somewhere that isn't here?"

Anya rolled her eyes. "They're not going to have sex right here, Xander."

Willow waved her hand vaguely and ran her finger along the line of words on the page. "We need to figure out what's going on before we can leave. I mean...what if this is just a lapse and five-year-old Buffy will be back soon?"

Anya narrowed her eyes and watched Willow as Xander tried his best to ignore what was going on on the other side of the table. "When did you learn to read Sumerian?"

"Giles has been teaching me." Willow answered absently, glancing over at the couple when she heard the distinct sound of a chair leg scraping against the hardwood floor. "Hey!"

At the sound of Willow's raised voice, Giles pulled from the kiss, looking very much like a kid caught with his hand in the cookie jar...which he was, if Buffy's shirt could be considered a cookie jar. His face reddened as he slipped his hand out from under Buffy's shirt and cleared his throat.

"Um..." He mumbled, sitting back in his chair and pointedly not looking at the three people sitting opposite him and Buffy.

Xander stared at Anya while gesturing at Buffy and Giles. "You said they weren't going to have sex here..."

"Since when is a little groping considered sex?" Anya countered, smiling when she heard Giles' embarrassed groan.

Buffy cleared her throat and caught Willow's eyes. "Um, hi?"

Willow smiled broadly. "Hey, Buffy...welcome back."

"Thanks." She darted her eyes around the table, smiling warmly at Giles before tilting her head towards the book in front of Willow. "So...what's the book say? Am I back permanently or is this just a guest spot?"

"Oh...um...that's what I'm trying to figure out. How much do you remember?" Willow asked as she pushed the book back to Giles.

"Everything. And thank you...all of you. This couldn't have been easy for any of you."

"It was probably the hardest on Giles." Anya stated matter-of-factly. When Xander stared at her with wide eyes, she huffed and crossed her arms over her chest. "I was talking about the fact that he's in a relationship with her...and it's hard seeing the person you love being something other than the person you're in love with. Not the fact that _he_ was hard..."

Giles closed his eyes and shook his head as Xander clapped his hand over Anya's mouth. Willow's face reddened as she stared at Anya in disbelief. Buffy merely smiled and placed her hand on Giles' thigh.

"So...can you tell you me what the book says?"

Giles opened his eyes and looked at her, nodding as he returned her smile.

* * *

Not long after ascertaining that the demon's toxin had lost its potency and there was no chance of Buffy's mental state reverting to that of a five-year-old once more, the others had decided to leave in order to give Buffy and Giles some time alone. The fact that Giles was seemingly having a hard time keeping his hands to himself had a lot to do with that decision.

Buffy smiled as she locked the door, his hands warm on her shoulders as he turned her to face him. He sighed deeply as he looked into her eyes, his hands moving to cradle her face.

"Christ, I missed you." He whispered emotionally, his thumbs tenderly rubbing her cheeks.

"It's not like I was gone long, Giles..." She whispered back, sliding her hands up his chest.

"Long enough." He stated, his eyes glistening. "I thought I'd lost you."

She shook her head, rising up on her toes to brush her lips across his. "You were the one person who made me feel the safest. Even with a child's understanding of things, I knew you'd never let anything happen to me."

He gazed into her eyes for a long moment, swallowing thickly when he felt his body begin to respond to the gentle touches of her fingers against his neck. "I, uh...feel as though I should apologize to you."

She narrowed her eyes in confusion, her fingertips constantly stroking his quickly warming skin. "For what?"

"I..." He cleared his throat and took a step forward, effectively pushing her against the door. "I couldn't control my body's reaction to you."

Her confusion cleared and a smile took up residence on her lips. "Oh, that. Well, I don't think an apology is necessary. I mean...Anya put it pretty well when – "

The rest of her statement was lost as his mouth covered hers, his tongue slipping between her lips as his hands moved under her shirt. He broke the kiss long enough to pull the shirt over her head. He dropped the garment to the floor and allowed his passion to be seen in his eyes as he lifted her in his arms.

"I...don't want to talk about what Anya said right now." He stated gruffly, inhaling shakily as she wrapped her legs around his waist.

"No?" Her fingers played with the soft curl of hair at the nape of his neck as he turned towards the stairs. "What _do_ you want to talk about then?"

He licked his lips, tightening his hold on her as she settled over his erection. "The reaction my body is having to you at this very moment."

Her eyes darkened a shade and she lightly scratched her nails over the back of his neck. "You should probably get me upstairs soon, Giles."

With a smile, he did just that. And his smile grew as he carried her in his arms into their bedroom. His smile faded as he glanced at the bed, remembering the look of fear in her eyes when she had awoken in dark.

"Giles?"

He exhaled slowly and lowered her to the floor when she loosened her legs. "I forgot. I can't believe that I forgot something as important as that."

"Forgot what?"

"A Slayer's childhood fear of the dark." He answered softly, running his fingers through her hair. "_Your_ childhood fear of the dark. I'm sorry that you woke up alone...and in the dark..."

"Oh, Giles..." She shook her head as she gazed into his eyes. "That's _so_ not your fault."

When he started to protest, she placed two fingers over his lips and shook her head again. "When I woke up, I called for you. And you ran in here thinking that something or someone was here...and you were ready to kill whatever it was. You're not expected to remember everything, honey."

"I'm supposed to protect you as best I can."

"And you do." She smiled and pulled the button on his jeans free. "Even from non-existent closet monsters."

"But – "

Buffy raised an eyebrow and slipped her fingers into his boxers. "I think we have better things to talk about, don't you?"

He inhaled sharply as she wrapped her fingers around his thickened shaft, nodding as she pulled his cock out of his boxers and began to slowly stroke him back to full hardness. "I am sorry though."

"I know." She tightened her grip on his erection and pushed his sweater up with her free hand. "That needs to come off, Giles."

The next few minutes were dedicated to each of them undressing. The act sounded simple, and it would have been had Buffy not refused to let go of him while their clothes were being shed. Giles cursed softly as her thumb rubbed gentle circles along the underside of his cock as he kicked his jeans to the side. Buffy chuckled when he pushed her onto the bed, seemingly not realizing that he had no other choice but to follow her...in a not so graceful manner.

He gave her a mock-glare as her chuckle turned into a laugh when he tripped over the pile of discarded clothing and fell on top of her. "That could've been...hazardous..."

"Shut up, Giles." She murmured, rolling him onto his back and climbing on top of him.

Any annoyance, real or not, left him as she rubbed her wet heat along his thick cock. "Buffy..."

She smiled and nipped at his earlobe as she continued to undulate against him. "Can I ask you something?"

"Uh-huh, yeah..." He groaned, sliding his hands up her sides as he moved underneath her.

"Can we skip the condoms tonight?"

His hands stopped their movement and his eyes widened as she smiled down at him. "I...you...it's...what?"

She chuckled softly and kissed his lips. "A few months ago you mentioned that one day you wouldn't mind having a child or two..."

"And you said that you weren't ready." He replied, moving his hands to her hips to hold her still.

She nodded in agreement and traced his left ear with her fingertip, her sudden nervousness showing in her eyes. "I'm ready now...I mean, if you are. Are you? Ready, I mean...for a baby? With me?"

He licked his lips and tilted his head slightly. "Why now, Buffy? I mean, yes...I've been ready for children with you for a while. But, for you...why now?"

"Because I love you." She answered simply. "And I'm ready to be a mother."

"And that's it? No other reason?"

She smiled and lifted her hips, exhaling deeply as she lowered herself onto his erection. "You let five-year-old me use your expensive drawing pencils...and I broke the blue one."

"Mm..." He murmured as her warmth surrounded him.

"You've never let adult me use them." She whispered as she rocked her hips against him. "Even when I promised to be careful..."

"Huh?" He gripped her hips in an unsuccessful attempt to still her motion, even as his own hips thrust upwards.

"You...are a brilliant man..." She whispered, leaning down to kiss him again. "You're going to be a wonderful father."

He returned her kiss, rolling their bodies until he was nestled between her strong thighs. He continued his steady thrusts as he looked into her passion-filled eyes.

"Me letting you use my pencils tells you that I'm going to be a good father?"

She shook her head, closing her eyes as he pushed her towards orgasm. "No...me breaking one of them and you...God, Giles..."

He groaned softly as he felt her inner walls tighten around him. "Go on..."

"You told me...it was okay...and..." Her nails raked down his chest as her eyes snapped open. "Oh my God...Giles..."

He smiled, thrusting harder as her moans became louder. They could discuss it more later. He was fairly certain that he understood what she was trying to say.

But, right now...he'd much rather bask in the sounds and sensations of her coming apart beneath him, and around him, than to discuss the correlation between a broken pencil and impending fatherhood.

He felt her muscles spasm around him, heard her scream his name, felt her nails dig into his back as her body thrashed beneath him...and then he felt her juices flood over him as she came. And that's all it took for him to come apart as well. He cried out her name as his orgasm crashed over him, the first time since she'd come off the pill that he'd had the pleasure of coming deep within her.

They came down slowly, holding on to one another as they fought for breath. Declarations of love heard amongst their panting as their hands soothingly touched one another's skin. He kissed her tenderly and moved to her side, smiling lovingly as he brushed her damp hair back from her face.

"A broken pencil, huh?"

She returned his smile and wiped the sweat from the side of his face. "Yeah..."

"I love you, Buffy."

She snuggled against his chest, his arms tightening around her. Nothing more needed to be said that night.

 

~ End

Bunny is as follows:

Buffy (for a reason of your choosing) is turned into a 5 year old. Giles has to deal :)  
Transformation can be physical/mental or just mental, author's choice.


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